Silk Road not Marshall Plan: scholars
- By Zhang Lulu
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 12, 2015
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Scholars from more than 30 countries discuss the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative at an international seminar in the coastal city of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, Feb. 11, 2015. [Photo: China.org.cn] |
International scholars discredited the misinterpretation of China's Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative (One Belt and One Road) at a two-day seminar in the coastal city of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, a major starting point of the Maritime Silk Road.
Not a Marshall Plan
Since China proposed the One Belt and One Road initiative, especially with the announcement of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund, some political analysts have dubbed it China's version of the Marshall Plan, a large-scale assistance program in Europe initiated by the United States after World War II.
James Peck, a U.S. historian at New York University, believed that China's initiative of the "One Belt and One Road" is very different from the Marshall Plan. The backgrounds of the two plans are different. While the Marshall Plan was proposed in the wake of the devastating World War II and was "in reality about Europe and the Cold War," China's initiative is "a step towards furthering a multi-polar order."
"Unlike the Marshall Plan which is very politically directed in the European context to undercut all sorts of political opposition groups in Europe and very preoccupied with anti-communism, this does not have that sort of political bet per se. It is much more about opening up relationships with other cultures economically and politically, without demanding that they conform to Chinese standards and methods." Professor Peck said in an interview with China.org.cn on the sidelines of the seminar.
While the United States traditionally wished to see other societies "become much more like them or at least prove compatible," China seems to "embody a very different approach to the world; it is much more tolerant in the aspect of learning to live with differences." he added.
While some international commentators have voiced their fear of political strings attached to China's initiative, participants at the seminar put these indications aside.
In her speech delivered at the roundtable discussion, Dr. Fawziya Nasser Juma Al Farsi, a member of the board of the Oman-China Friendship Association, looked back at the history of exchanges between China and Oman, and is optimistic about the new initiative.
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Dr. Fawziya Nasser Juma Al Farsi, a member of the board of the Oman-China Friendship Association, listens to a speech at an international seminar in the coastal city of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, Feb. 11, 2015. [Photo: China.org.cn] |
"If we look at history -- whether it is the land or the sea Silk Road -- of how different civilizations, societies and cultures have interacted with each other, in terms of economy, products, ideas, cultures, and education, we can see there are a lot of benefits. Thus we look at this as an opportunity. And if there are any challenges, we can convert the challenges into opportunities. " she said.
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